1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to quarternary compounds prepared by the quaternization of amidoamines and to their use as fabric softeners and anti-stats.
2. Description of Prior Art
Quaternary nitrogen compounds have found commercial acceptance for fabric softening. The washing of fabrics, especially when machine washing is used, tends to cause surface roughness in the fabric making the fabric harsher to the touch. Addition of fabric softeners tends to overcome this undesirable effect resulting in a softer, fluffier fabric after washing and drying. Softeners can be of three types, cationics, nonionics and anionics. Nonionics in general are not as efficient softeners but do have the advantage of higher resistance to yellowing. Anionics, such as stearic acid soaps have also been used. However, the cationic softeners, especially the quaternary nitrogen compounds, have found the highest commerical acceptance. These cationics have the most acceptable combination of properties, including dispersability in water, substantive deposition on the fabric from a water carrier, resistance to yellowing, ability to be removed with subsequent washings, stability as a concentrate for industrial handling and shipment, and stability as a dispersion of 3-6% concentration. The types of cationics which have been found useful include primary amine salts, salts of tertiary amines, quaternary ammonium salts, and quaternary salts of amidoamines. In this last category, a compound of the structure: ##STR2## has been of commercial importance (Textile Chemicals and Auxiliaries Speel and Schwartz, Reinhold Publishing Corp., New York, 1957, pp 396-401).